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New Study of Channel Chiefs Suggests Strategic Shift Toward Sales Effectiveness Needed in 2009
(Marketwire Via Acquire Media NewsEdge) SAN MATEO, CA, October 6 / MARKET WIRE/ --
A new survey released today by BLUEROADS and
SiriusDecisions has demonstrated a clear link between the types of partner
programs that top channel executives emphasize and their impact on revenue
growth in the indirect channel. Of those executives surveyed who said they
focused on sales 'effectiveness' strategic activities such as lead
management and deal registration, 62 percent reported an increase in
revenue in 2008.
Paradoxically, 80 percent of the channel investments by the vendors that
were surveyed focused around tactical issues such as training, partner
portals, and partner communication tools -- all activities that simply
automate the relationship with partners. Of those who focused investment on
these types of 'efficiency' programs, only 40 percent reported an increase
in channel revenue in 2008.
"The Channel Survey: 2009 Priorities," which polled an audience of over
1,000 high ranking vendor channel leaders, also indicates that vendors are
seeking to drive revenues, but don't always know how, and often resort to
brute force tactics including channel partner recruitment in their existing
markets rather than focusing on programs that increase the productivity and
yield of their current resellers and partners. The survey covered a variety
of channel-dependent industries -- including software, telecommunications,
computer hardware, and information services -- on their channel plans,
investments, and expectations.
"Too many channel chiefs are engaged in low-risk, low-return activities,"
said Charles Watson, Senior Vice President of Marketing and Sales for
BLUEROADS. "Too few are ready to drive fundamental changes that help them
achieve greater equality with direct sales and enable increased visibility,
empowerment and accountability in the channel."
Nearly 60 percent of respondents recognize they need to spend more on sales
effectiveness programs in 2009. However, their intended actions don't
necessarily support that goal. For example, training and partner content
portals were among the top technology investments, yet these are often
simply easy-to-implement infrastructure investments with limited return.
Several other data points from the survey point to the need for a change in
focus away from efficiency initiatives for channel chiefs in 2009:
-- Most are not measuring and monitoring the performance of leads or
sales opportunities effectively
-- Required reporting from the channel focuses merely on tactical
pipeline and deal status, rather than on strategic issues such as lead
acceptance and deal registration, which hampers the opportunity for vendor
staff to provide high value sales support to the partner community.
BLUEROADS points to several key recommended investment areas that will help
channel chiefs to boost effectiveness:
-- Measurement of every partner, lead and opportunity KPI
-- Generate high quality leads for the channel
-- Rapid delivery of leads to channel
-- Get each lead to the right partner every time
-- Lead and opportunity accountability on the part of channel partners
-- Protection from channel conflict
-- Bi-directional accountability and benefit for all revenue generating
programs
-- Selling guidance and coaching to help partners accelerate sales cycles
About BLUEROADS Corporation
BLUEROADS Corporation delivers proven enterprise Partner Opportunity
Management solutions that help organizations with complex,
multi-dimensional channels market and sell more effectively. Customers like
Avaya, Polycom and Juniper depend on BLUEROADS' unique closed-loop system
which empowers individual partner representatives to actively participate
in sales and marketing processes. BLUEROADS strengthens the bond between
vendors and their partners, achieving the mutually beneficial goals of
increased conversion rates, revenue and market share. BLUEROADS is
headquartered in San Mateo, California and is financed by ArrowPath Venture
Capital, Cardinal Venture Capital, El Dorado Ventures and The Halo Fund.
For more information, please visit www.blueroads.com.
About SiriusDecisions
SiriusDecisions is the world's leading source for business-to-business
sales and marketing best practice research and data. SiriusDecisions
Executive Advisory Services, Management Consulting Services, Benchmark
Assessment Services and Events provide senior-level executives with the
sales and marketing operational intelligence required to improve topline
performance. The unique combination of thought leadership, benchmark data,
analytic tools, best practices and access to a peer and analyst network
allow SiriusDecisions clients to quickly receive the critical insight they
need to make decisions effectively. For more information, visit
www.siriusdecisions.com.
Charles Watson
BLUEROADS
(650) 349-8500Email Contact
Copyright ? 2008 Marketwire
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